Raw carrot and orange salad

Today’s guest post is by Angela Billows, who has a lovely blog Provence Calling. I met Angela at Food Blogger Camp in January, and am looking forward to seeing her in Provence this June. She recently posted this Moroccan-inspired recipe for a raw carrot salad, which reminded me of our trip to Morocco. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so it’s perfectly in season in San Diego right now. And it was so delicious, I asked her permission to include it here. Enjoy!

Interior courtyard, Riad al Rimal, Marrakech

Olive stand, Marrakech

Our first cups of mint tea

This is a very Moorish salad that will last a couple of days. It’s best made 30 minutes to an hour before serving so the juice of the carrots mixes with the orange juice. See notes below for substitutions.

Angela’s Moroccan Carrot and Orange Salad
1 lb. (500 g) carrots
1 orange
1/2 lemon
1 T. Moroccan argan oil*
1 T. olive oil (2 T. if not using argan oil)
2 t. mustard or poppy seeds
1 tsp. stone-ground prepared mustard
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 C. chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, watercress, or mint

Scrub the carrots and wash the orange and the herbs. Shake the herbs dry and then roll them up in a clean kitchen towel to absorb the water.

Warm a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and shake occasionally while they are toasting so they don’t burn. After five minutes or so they will begin to pop. Take the skillet off the heat.

Finely grate the orange peel using a Microplane zester or box grater into a small bowl. Juice the orange and the lemon and add to the bowl. Add the seeds, mustard, and salt and pepper. Begin whisking, adding the oil in a stream until it emulsifies (thickens).

Grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor with a grater disc and place into a large serving bowl. Finely chop the green herbs and add.

Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Let sit for at least 30 minutes for all the flavors to infuse and then serve.

Notes: Argan oil* is produced by women’s cooperatives only in Morocco. You may be able to purchase it at a Middle-eastern market, or you can order it online here. I used citrus-infused olive oil from the Temecula Olive Oil Company, which was delicious. Angela called for fresh parsley or fresh coriander, which Americans call cilantro. I used watercress from my CSA produce basket. I think mint would also be very Moroccan.

Tagged as: Argan oil, carrot, cilantro, lemon juice, mint, mustard seeds, olive oil, orange, orange zest, parsley, watercress